Openingtrainer develop 2

We've arrived at a little bit of opening theory. In the positions within this lesson we see the English chess opening. Previously we saw positions in which the queen's pawn or the king's pawn is placed in the center. An interesting alternative is to advance the c-pawn. The move 1.c4 is called the English opening. The interesting thing about this move is that White indirectly fights for the center. Black is discouraged from moving the d-pawn, as you can see in the second example. White then captures this pawn and if Black captures back, this leads to a gain of a tempo for White.

In the English opening it is important to make room for your pieces in subtle ways. In the first example you can see how Black makes room for the bishop by moving the king's pawn one step forward. With this move Black also prepares an advance of the d-pawn.

In the English opening it is often smart to opt for a fianchetto by playing your b- or g-pawn.

What do you have to do?

Explore different ways to activate your pieces. In many cases this will mean that you first have to make a preparatory move.